The Cupping Room

This was my first visit to The Cupping Room for lunch – finally, I could try their famous burgers! The spring menu is full of delights, and I couldn’t go past the lure of a Korean fried chicken burger with kimchi ($20) – swoon. I started with the strawberry, apple and mint juice, which was beautifully presented in a large glass and was really refreshing – strawberry and mint belong together! The burger arrived shortly afterwards and was piled nice and high with white kimchi and the fried chicken. I was expecting the chicken skin to be really crispy, but instead it was more slightly chewy to get through to the succulent meat inside. There was some magical sauce drizzled on top that brought a bit of spice to the party, since the kimchi wasn’t overly hot (thank goodness, given how much there was!). Some fresh cabbage added a bit of crunch too. I loved the fries, which were lovely and crisp and served with a generous portion of aioli – no scrimping here. Overall this was an excellent, if slightly too filling, lunch and I’d definitely come back to have it again.

The Cupping Room, 1/13 University Avenue, Canberra ACT, http://www.onacoffee.com.au/

Pork Barrel

Two-for-one pizzas at Pork Barrel has been a lunch tradition for my whole Canberra life. To be honest, I’ve never tried anything else there! On this visit we ended up ordering two of my favourites – the Bombay (tandoori chicken, Spanish onion and raita), and Continental (artichoke, eggplant, pepperoni, olives and fetta) in the largest size to share. I feel like the bases at Pork Barrel have become thicker, because each piece was far more filling than I remember. The Bombay had tonnes of Spanish onion, much more than chicken, unfortunately, but was drizzled with refreshing raita and had a couple of papadums resting on top. There’s a good kick to the tandoori but it’s balanced by the sweet onion. The Continental had a generous amount of topping, with plenty of delicious pepperoni layered on the bottom, plenty of artichoke and a nice hit of salt from the kalamata olives and fetta. We didn’t have to wait too long for our food, despite being there at peak lunch time, although it took a while to line up and order. Remember to specify that you want two-for-one, otherwise you won’t get the deal!

Pork Barrel, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.porkbarrel.com.au/

Ivy & The Fox

As a big fan of Fox and Bow, I was very excited to try their new store, Ivy & The Fox, at ANU. Mum and I picked a table out on the lawns in dappled sunlight. We started with drinks – I picked the El Macho, a pineapple and pear juice with lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and nopal cactus. Take the time to mix this up – on first sip, all I got was cactus, cinnamon and vanilla, but once blended with the pineapple it was a beautifully balanced juice. To eat I picked the Reuben Gonzales, with house corned silverside, pickles, mustard, swiss cheese and fries – the portion was massive! The silverside was cut very thin, which is quite different to what I would have expected, and the mustard and cheese added a lot of flavour. I appreciated the bit of salad on the side, and whilst the fries were nice, I found them a bit underdone, but I prefer mine on the crispy side. Mum loved both her Oh Darla and Road Runner. The location was second to none – with glimpses of the lake all around and just the right amount of sun and shade, I can see myself spending plenty of time here.

Ivy & The Fox, Old Canberra House, ANU, Lennox Crossing Acton, ACT, http://ivyandthefox.com/

Local Press

Sometimes I feel like this blog is a bit of a love letter to Local Press. Every time I eat there I have a consistently excellent experience, and this time was no exception. Having not tried it before, I opted for the smoked leg ham toasted sandwich, while my friends tried the French toast and the porridge. The food came out quickly, and I was struck by the vibrant colours on the plate. The menu didn’t mention that the sandwich came with a salad, so that was a pleasant surprise. The fresh rocket and capsicum was a perfect way to lighten up the rich toastie. And what a toastie it was! The bread had obviously been pan-fried in butter – it oozed with deliciousness and the flavour was incredible. I chose to add a fried egg into the filling and it went really well with the thick-cut leg ham (slightly chewy, but really tasty), the fresh tomato and the tasty cheddar. The whole breakfast was so hearty and I think it would have still been super filling, even without the added egg. The other dishes looked great too – I’ll be back soon to try them out!

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/

Nutrition Republic

I’ve been following Nutrition Republic on Instagram for a while now and have been impressed by how fresh and amazing everything they make looks! On a recent trip to Adelaide we stopped in to try their raw cakes for afternoon tea. It was close to their closing time (4pm), so we go our cakes in takeaway trays rather than on plates. The staff were really friendly and happy to answer my questions about the food – everything here is designed to be considerate of dietary requirements, and the raw cakes ($8 per slice) are all dairy and gluten free, as well as being vegan to boot! I picked the vanilla bean and berry cake with its pretty layers of colour. All of the cakes do contain nuts of some kind, and these (cashews and almond) help make the base of the cake. I love the texture of raw cakes – they remind me of cheesecake – thick (but light), rich and smooth. The vanilla flavour was nicely combined with the berry flavour, so it wasn’t a strong artificial vanilla taste, but a blended, more complex flavour. The slice looks small but was really filling – a lovely treat!

Nutrition Republic, Shop 2, 92-94 King William Road, Goodwood SA, http://www.nutritionrepublic.com.au

Me & Mrs Jones

I haven’t been to Me & Mrs Jones in years, and I have very fond memories of their shantung lamb burger from way back when. With that memory in mind, I picked from the sandwiches part of the menu on this weekday visit with a group of friends. I was actually running late for lunch, and when I arrived the waitress took my order of the ‘Finger Lickin’ Chicken’. Amazingly, my meal came out with everyone else’s (hats off to the kitchen staff!) and it looked fabulous. Of course, it tasted fabulous too. The chips were lovely and soft inside and I’m a sucker for a good aioli – this one didn’t let me down. I ended up cutting the burger in half to eat, and whilst it was a bit messy, I devoured every mouthful! The chicken was really plump and tender, but the real magic came from whatever honey sauce had been drizzled on top. Hello deliciousness! The coleslaw added a nice bit of fresh crunch, and I’m a fan of traditional soft burger buns used here. Friends had the beef burger and I don’t think it’ll be too long until I come back to try that. Fabulous food and impressive service.

Me & Mrs Jones, 26 Giles Street, Kingston ACT, http://www.mmjones.com.au/

Autolyse

When the gentleman behind the counter at Autolyse told me the cake I was pointing at was a “parry breast”, I probably gave him a very odd expression. After futher explanation, I realised he’d said “Paris-Brest”, referring to two cities in France, which developed this cake to celebrate a bicycle race between the cities. Points to the Autolyse guy for knowing his pastry history! The pastry in question is a choux piped into two rings, sandwiched together with hazelnut cream. Obviously I had to order it, despite it being large enough for at least two, maybe even three. My friend grabbed an eclair so no luck trying to share. We managed to get a table inside and I got straight into it. The choux pastry was lovely and light – it broke nicely without crumbling too much and had a light dusting of icing sugar on top. The flecks in the pastry made me wonder if there was hazelnut in it as well? Mmm. The cream inside was just the right consistency, and the hazelnut flavour was subtle, so that it didn’t overpower the flavour of the choux. I would happily order this again, but definitely to share!

Autolyse, Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT  http://autolyse.com.au/